Reconstructive Surgery

Lucas Giolito , a first-round draft pick of the Washington Nationals and former standout pitcher for Studio City Harvard-Westlake, will undergo Tommy John reconstructive surgery Aug. 31, his father, Rick, confirmed Friday. Giolito received a $2.95-million signing bonus from the Nationals despite missing most of his senior year after spraining the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow last March. He had been clocked throwing a 100-mph fastball. He made his minor league debut Aug. 14, pitching two innings before being removed from the game.

Rashe Hall was a soldier in Afghanistan in 2006 when his Army platoon came under attack while on patrol. A rocket-propelled grenade exploded near Hall, setting his clothes on fire. Bleeding from shrapnel wounds and suffering severe burns on his face and body, Hall grabbed his weapon and charged up a hill, firing at the enemy as he tried to protect his fellow soldiers. For his actions that day, Hall was awarded the Silver and Bronze stars, among the nation's highest military decorations.

Sunday's game between the Orlando Magic and the Boston Celtics was the first time the teams had played each other since they faced off on Nov. 8 and Nov. 11. So Celtics coach Brad Stevens was in a good position to evaluate the growth of the Magic's rookie guard, Victor Oladipo . "Oladipo's going to be really good," Stevens said. "I thought that the last time we played them. He's obviously got a better feel for everything that they're doing for him and everything that he can do within their offense.

Once Gloria Hartley stopped believing she would die from the cancer that robbed her of her right breast, she began to think about the disfigurement the malignancy cost her.The petite 55-year-old mother of four grown daughters had recently been divorced when a mammogram revealed a small malignancy in her breast in 1986. She was just dipping her toe in the waters of single life again when a surgeon stripped her of her right breast. Soon thereafter, to her delight -- and also to her distress -- a new love came into her life.

SPRINGFIELD — University of Chicago medical center doctors today announced that state Rep. Deb Mell had breast cancer surgery about three weeks ago. Mell, 44, is the daughter of 33 rd Ward Ald. Richard Mell and sister-in-law of ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich . Rep. Mell had surgery on Aug. 10, months after announcing she had Stage 1 invasive breast cancer, the earliest stage. "Rep. Mell is doing extremely well," said Dr. Nora Jaskowiak, Mell's surgeon and an associate professor of surgery at the University of Chicago Medicine.

— University of Chicago medical center doctors announced Tuesday that state Rep. Deborah Mell had breast cancer surgery about three weeks ago. Mell, 44, is the daughter of 33rd Ward Ald. Richard Mell and sister-in-law of ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich . Rep. Mell had surgery Aug. 10, months after announcing she had stage 1 invasive breast cancer, the earliest stage. "Rep. Mell is doing extremely well," said Dr. Nora Jaskowiak, Mell's surgeon and an associate professor of surgery at the University of Chicago Medicine.

Q: My neighbor had a breast removed years ago because of cancer. Recently she had an operation to put a ''balloon'' underneath her skin to stretch it. What is it used for?A. You are describing a procedure called tissue expansion. The ''balloon'' is a very sophisticated inflatable device called a tissue expander. Sometimes the skin in an area of scar or in a wound is too tight to allow for reconstructive surgery. In these situations, the tight skin can sometimes be expanded.This is done by a minor surgical procedure to implant the tissue expander into a pocket underneath the skin.

Breast-cancer patients who had reconstructive surgery using implants immediately after mastectomies were twice as likely to acquire infections as women who immediately had breast reconstruction using their own tissue, according to a study published Monday. The article in Archives of Surgery, which examined the medical records of breast-surgery patients at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis from mid-1999 to mid-2002, found that 50 of 949 patients acquired an infection at the surgical site within a year after surgery.

An Orlando woman will need reconstructive surgery to repair her jaw after her boyfriend allegedly shot her in the face during a domestic dispute Monday afternoon, deputies said. Orange County deputy sheriffs charged 24-year-old Brian Leonard with attempted murder and domestic battery after he confessed to shooting at his girlfriend Chanel Mendez, according to the investigative report. Mendez told deputies that Leonard, her boyfriend of three years, was upset and began to argue about some phone call she had received at an apartment in the 1000 block of Buchanon Avenue, the report said.

When Joel Berry injured his left knee in December, the early prognosis was that the Lake Highland basketball standout could miss 14-16 games. Eight games later, the repeat All-Central Florida Player of the Year came back from surgery to spark a 16-game winning streak that culminated with the Class 4A state championship. "A lot of that was my parents keeping me upbeat," Berry said. "They kept telling me that all I had to do is work hard to get back on the court. " Joel's parents, Joel Sr. and Kathie, are the pillars of a tightknit family of seven.

Matt Schaub is just fine. Don't worry about the Houston Texans quarterback, who lost his helmet and had to miss a play following a brutal -- and illegal -- hit by Denver Broncos defender Joe Mays (see video below). "I felt fine," Schaub said. "I just lost a piece of my ear. I was bleeding and my helmet came off. So I had to come out for a play, but I was fine. " Wait ... what?! Is it just me or does Schaub seem a little nonchalant for a guy who just lost a piece of his ear ?

The debates can continue, but the Washington Nationals have finally and officially shut down ace pitcher Stephen Strasburg for the season. That's what Manager Davey Johnson, citing the mental toll on the former No. 1 overall draft pick, told reporters on Saturday morning after Strasburg, who missed most of last season after an elbow injury and reconstructive surgery, had a poor outing against the Miami Marlins on Friday night. Strasburg, who finishes the season with a 15-6 record and a 3.16 earned-run average, lasted a season-low three innings against the Marlins, giving up five runs on six hits, including two home runs, while walking three and striking out two. Nationals General Manager Mike Rizzo maintained all season that Strasburg would pitch between 150 to 180 innings after having surgery in September 2010.

— University of Chicago medical center doctors announced Tuesday that state Rep. Deborah Mell had breast cancer surgery about three weeks ago. Mell, 44, is the daughter of 33rd Ward Ald. Richard Mell and sister-in-law of ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich . Rep. Mell had surgery Aug. 10, months after announcing she had stage 1 invasive breast cancer, the earliest stage. "Rep. Mell is doing extremely well," said Dr. Nora Jaskowiak, Mell's surgeon and an associate professor of surgery at the University of Chicago Medicine.

SPRINGFIELD — University of Chicago medical center doctors today announced that state Rep. Deb Mell had breast cancer surgery about three weeks ago. Mell, 44, is the daughter of 33 rd Ward Ald. Richard Mell and sister-in-law of ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich . Rep. Mell had surgery on Aug. 10, months after announcing she had Stage 1 invasive breast cancer, the earliest stage. "Rep. Mell is doing extremely well," said Dr. Nora Jaskowiak, Mell's surgeon and an associate professor of surgery at the University of Chicago Medicine.

The third time might be the charm for "Survivor: Philippines' castaway Jonathan Penner. Penner, whose voice and witty wisecracking are a dead ringer for Alan Alda's Hawkeye on M*A*S*H, joins Michael Skupin and Russell Swan as medically evacuated former players getting another chance at winning a million bucks. After injuring his knee during a challenge in "Survivor: Micronesia - Fans vs. Favorites," Penner developed a severe infection that forced him to leave the game.

If one word could describe Orlando resident Gloria Walker Moorhead, it would be tenacity . Moorhead, a volunteer fashion model and member of the American Cancer Society in the 1960s, took pride in her work, image, sense of fashion, volunteerism — and her tennis game. But when she was diagnosed with breast cancer at the time, it seemed all of it would come to a halt. That didn't happen, though. After a mastectomy , Moorhead was more determined than ever to forge ahead, while also pursuing what would be a decades-long quest for reconstructive surgery . In doing so, she helped pave the way for other women who for many years had few cosmetic options after such radical surgery.

Matt Schaub is just fine. Don't worry about the Houston Texans quarterback, who lost his helmet and had to miss a play following a brutal -- and illegal -- hit by Denver Broncos defender Joe Mays (see video below). "I felt fine," Schaub said. "I just lost a piece of my ear. I was bleeding and my helmet came off. So I had to come out for a play, but I was fine. " Wait ... what?! Is it just me or does Schaub seem a little nonchalant for a guy who just lost a piece of his ear ?

Lucas Giolito , a first-round draft pick of the Washington Nationals and former standout pitcher for Studio City Harvard-Westlake, will undergo Tommy John reconstructive surgery Aug. 31, his father, Rick, confirmed Friday. Giolito received a $2.95-million signing bonus from the Nationals despite missing most of his senior year after spraining the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow last March. He had been clocked throwing a 100-mph fastball. He made his minor league debut Aug. 14, pitching two innings before being removed from the game.

If one word could describe Orlando resident Gloria Walker Moorhead, it would be tenacity . Moorhead, a volunteer fashion model and member of the American Cancer Society in the 1960s, took pride in her work, image, sense of fashion, volunteerism — and her tennis game. But when she was diagnosed with breast cancer at the time, it seemed all of it would come to a halt. That didn't happen, though. After a mastectomy , Moorhead was more determined than ever to forge ahead, while also pursuing what would be a decades-long quest for reconstructive surgery . In doing so, she helped pave the way for other women who for many years had few cosmetic options after such radical surgery.